Currently holidaying with 4month old..any tips?

[FTMaz]

Hi all

i am FTM and currently on holiday with my 4 month old. I had envisioned that DS would spend days on a shaded lounger or tent by the pool whilst DH and I could sunbathe between tending to him. However not sure if I’m missing a trick but we’ve pretty much been stuck in the room as DS cries every time I’ve attempted to have him outside. He won’t settle by the pool. I’m in Tenerife so it’s obviously hot but I have friends who take their babies on holiday and they seem to manage it. Am I doing something wrong?

4 months is a tricky age I found. They can’t do much for themselves but they really want to. Lying him on a lounger whilst you sunbathe was never going to happen. Have you tried swimming with him or taking him to see different things?

Holidaying with babies and toddlers can be a nightmare, same s…t, different location, plus change of routine.

Do you mean settle to sleep? How do you normally get him to sleep at home?

Because he’s pretty chilled at home I thought he’d be the same here..but nope 😂

yea I’ve taken him swimming but he didn’t particularly like that either 🤦🏻‍♀️

No he’s sleeping fine I mean when he’s awake. He’s normally pretty chilled out at home but not here!

What do you do in the apartment to entertain him? Can you do more of that outside? I can’t imagine my kids just chilling awake in the buggy.

Yeah they are all so different and 4 months is an awkward age.

Some will happily nap in the buggy while mum and dad have a cocktail by the pool... others will just go mental.

Don't be stuck inside though. Go out - deal with the crying for a bit. As long as they aren't hurt/too hot they are probably just sensitive to a new surrounding.

Go on a bit of a walk - point out new interesting things until they get comfortable with where they are.

It's hard being on holiday with a grumpy baby but they will get used to it. The sun bathing while they chill may not happen - but you can still have a good holiday. The flight and new surrounding may just have taken its toll a bit on baba

Also do you have/can get a pram/buggy fan? Like adults they all take temp changes differently.

From a baby's point of view, everything is suddenly different just as they were getting familiar with the environment and routines etc. They don't get the memo about holidays being a treat.

This is one of my least favourite things about parenting tbh. The first few holidays we had post baby were terrible. Seven years in, they're still mainly about a few good moments rather than a whole enjoyable week.

I don't have much advice. Taking turns to have a sunbathe and swim, or else accepting that relaxation won't happen and going for walks etc is probably the best bet.

Thanks everyone…by ‘chill’ I don’t mean him sitting still pina colada in hand 😂 I mean just settled, of course we would be playing with him etc.

this may seem like a really stupid question but with regards to walks I’m worried about him getting burnt. I’ve got the yoyo babyzen with a parasol but it doesn’t cover that well, should I put him in his rash suit and hat in the pram or will he be too hot?

Do you have a thin long sleeve top on you? I think that would work. Definitely the sun hat.

A buggy fan would be good if you can get one - or a portable fan you can attach to the pram/buggy?

No, you definitely can't easily leave a baby to just chill next to you awake while you carry on with the sort of holiday you would have had before baby. Holidays with small children are pretty much one of you entertaining them and the other getting to relax. So for relaxing by the pool, one of you takes him out for a walk or a swim and the other relaxes for an hour or two and then you switch. In the pre-1 year old stage, I found it was pretty easy to do city break sort of holidays, museums, gardens, restaurants, things where we were out and about and on the move, with a bit of time back wherever we were staying in the afternoons to nap/relax/get out of the heat before late afternoon/evening when we'd go out again.